Many people use multiple digital devices that store information. For example, a user might use a smart mobile phone, a laptop at home and a personal computer at work. Traditionally, this has been difficult to do, because the data must be manually transferred from one device to another. There are other means available of synchronising the data between two or more devices, but these generally require a specific software application to do this.
There is an increasing need to be able to access the information stored on these devices securely from anywhere. This should be simple to operate and manage, and allow any type of data, and the software application that accesses and modifies each type of data to be available on any of a user's electronic devices. The data is accessed via a network, such as the internet, or WAN, for instance, and the data sharing system should also have effective security to allow only the owner of the data to access it, from whatever device they are currently using.
Various systems and method have been devised in an attempt to link multiple devices. For example GB2411092 to Changwen et al describes the creation of a secure network path for a mobile node e.g. laptop The method involves sending a registration request to a home agent specifying permanent network address for mobile node and proxy care-of address. The proxy care-of address is used for communicating with the mobile node.
Another example is WO04081818 to Fontijn et al that describes a method of transferring ownership change among devices in a peer-to-peer network. The method involves propagating change to one or more devices for which change is relevant. The responsibility of committing the change is passed among the devices.
The term “comprising” as used in this specification means “consisting at least in part of”. When interpreting each statement in this specification that includes the term “comprising”, features other than that or those prefaced by the term may also be present. Related terms such as “comprise” and “comprises” are to be interpreted in the same manner.
As used herein the term “and/or” means “and” or “or”, or both.
As used herein “(s)” following a noun means the plural and/or singular forms of the noun.
It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for example, 1 to 10) also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for example, 1, 1.1, 2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational numbers within that range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7).
The entire disclosures of all applications, patents and publications, cited above and below, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference.
In this specification, where reference has been made to external sources of information, including patent specifications and other documents, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the present invention. Unless stated otherwise, reference to such sources of information is not to be construed, in any jurisdiction, as an admission that such sources of information are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.